Risk Management

Basic Concept

Creating a Group-wide risk management system

Along with the globalization of economies and the transformation of societies, the risks faced by companies have become more diverse. Konica Minolta has created a Group-wide risk management system in order to clarify various corporate risks and to minimize their impact on its businesses. The Group also conducts business continuity management, taking measures to ensure that businesses are able to continue uninterrupted in the case of a natural disaster or other unforeseen circumstances.

Risk Management System

Konica Minolta, Inc. has established a management system in which the President and CEO is responsible for risk management and crisis management. In April 2010, the company strengthened its system for assessing a range of possible risks without serious omissions and developing full countermeasures. A system was also established for reporting and issuing instructions during a crisis.

Building a Risk Management System

Making executive officers responsible for managing various risks.

The executive officers are responsible for managing various risks including strategic risks, financial risks, risks pertinent to environmental regulations and hazard risks. They identify and evaluate risks and develop and monitor countermeasures in their respective spheres of management. In addition, the Risk Management Committee, chaired by an executive officer appointed by the Board of Directors, is convened periodically (twice a year). The Committee examines the risks identified by each executive officer, as well as the countermeasures in place, and checks to ensure that the risk management system is functioning effectively, making revisions where necessary. The Group responds as a whole to risks judged to be particularly important, led by an executive officer appointed by the chairperson. The activities of the Risk Management Committee are periodically reported to the Audit Committee.

Matters concerning the business and financial status of the Konica Minolta Group that are likely to have a material impact on the decision of investors. Matters relating to the future referenced are Group determinations based on the current business environment.

Building a Crisis Management System

Establishing a system for minimizing the business and social impact of crises

Konica Minolta has established a system for minimizing the business and social impact of crises that may arise from a range of risks by taking prompt and appropriate action and by releasing information. The Crisis Management Committee, chaired by the executive officer for crisis management appointed by the Board of Directors, discusses and formulates crisis countermeasures and procedures for action.
Furthermore, the emergency contact system has been enhanced to enable the President and CEO, in addition to the executive officer for crisis management, to assess the situation and make decisions quickly. A system has also been established to enable the President and CEO to take leadership in critical areas in a crisis.

Incorrect information in mass media, spreading rumors through various channels, including the Internet, etc.

Business Continuity Management (BCM)

Establishing measures for business continuity in the event of a major natural disaster

One of the most important responsibilities of an enterprise is to maintain or rapidly resume its essential business operations in the event of a major disaster or accident. Konica Minolta is working toward this goal at Group companies worldwide, as well as in its supply chains.*

At Konica Minolta, each business division and subsidiary, including the Business Technologies Business, which is Konica Minolta's core business, and Medical Devices, for which there is a high need during disasters, formulates a business continuity plan (BCP), laying out a specific plan of action for such an event. The Group has also established an initial response system to decide the necessity of putting the BCP into action by gathering information such as the damage situation immediately after a disaster.

Specifically, in the event of a major earthquake in Japan, the basic policy is to keep supplying consumables and products as much as possible so as to not inconvenience customers, while continuing to provide support services to existing customers. Toward that end, the Group is striving to increase the level of its business continuity system by decentralizing production sites for primary consumables, conducting risk assessments on suppliers, and securing alternatives and inventory for key parts with big risk. In addition, a backup structure has been established for call centers in Eastern and Western Japan so that they can provide backup to each other. This enables the company to continue to provide customer support even if one center were affected by a disaster. The Group also works on preparing responses in case of an infectious disease epidemic, such as new strains of flu for which there are concerns about a global outbreak. Further, various drills are conducted to increase the quality of these kinds of BCM.

*Supply chain: The series of activities involved in delivering a product or service to a customer, ranging from procurement and production to distribution and sales.

Reinforcing BCM Following the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Group's major sites escaped severe damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011, and the BCP did not have to be implemented. However, for the first month after the disaster, the president of Konica Minolta, Inc. held an Earthquake Response Meeting every morning to gather information, give appropriate instructions, and ensure consistent information disclosure. Since then, the Group has taken measures to improve its preparedness for front-line action in the event of a major disaster that occurs without warning.
Specifically, the initial response manual at all Group sites was revised so that operations would reliably continue during periods of chaos, at night and on holidays. The effectiveness of the manual was tested with actual drills, and the PDCA cycle is being used to improve it further.
In the event of a large-scale earthquake, the headquarters in the Marunouchi area of Chiyoda, Tokyo would serve as the Disaster Response Headquarters, and seven response teams, headed by the president, would promptly respond. This system is reviewed in Group disaster preparedness training held once a year. In this training, the Disaster Response Headquarters, including top management, works with a site chosen as the hypothetical epicenter to quickly ascertain the extent of the damage, decide on a response and make decisions. In November 2017, training was carried out for a scenario involving the occurrence of a quake in the Nankai Trough before the start of business hours.
Konica Minolta has also developed its own information-sharing tools for use in disasters. Its Emergency Information Data Base System is able to map the extent of damage at sites in the Konica Minolta Group in Japan, thereby providing an overall picture of the damage. The Safety Confirmation System consolidates information on the safety of employees and their families. Konica Minolta also uses internal social media as an information-sharing tool for use in emergencies that occur at night or on holidays. Employing disaster prevention ICT, these tools support a smooth response from the initial response stage through the BCP stage. When the earthquake occurred in northern Osaka in June 2018, the Group used these ICT tools and confirmed that they were effective for information- sharing in the initial stage.
Also, based on Tokyo Metropolitan Government regulations that went into force in April 2013, the Group has been improving its disaster prevention equipment and strengthening its measures for persons having difficulty returning home.